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regressing // roaches
The childhood home
full of light in the morning -
taught me to love
the sun
first of all -
taught me my persistence
would pay off in growth
too big to uproot -
says the orange tree,
fourth-grade plant project gone
sapling gone
college-age, jubilant
fresh spring shoots;
under its leafy belt,
two years of bearing fruit -
The home of food
and pure leisure
(nobody much
moves).
Of secret, excessive weeds.
Of spice cabinet shallow and tall;
swimming pool deep.
My childhood home -
here the light rinses the tile
and the shadows dappling down
scrub the grout
in the day,
bubbles
dusty and golden,
and the meaty Louisiana roaches
keep inside the walls
until no one is watching,
respectful of the border
between morning and night.
full of light in the morning -
taught me to love
the sun
first of all -
taught me my persistence
would pay off in growth
too big to uproot -
says the orange tree,
fourth-grade plant project gone
sapling gone
college-age, jubilant
fresh spring shoots;
under its leafy belt,
two years of bearing fruit -
The home of food
and pure leisure
(nobody much
moves).
Of secret, excessive weeds.
Of spice cabinet shallow and tall;
swimming pool deep.
My childhood home -
here the light rinses the tile
and the shadows dappling down
scrub the grout
in the day,
bubbles
dusty and golden,
and the meaty Louisiana roaches
keep inside the walls
until no one is watching,
respectful of the border
between morning and night.
Published 16th Apr 2019
Author's Note
4-[15]-2019
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
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16th Apr 2019 6:16pm
Enjoyed this write.
"and the meaty Louisiana roaches
keep inside the walls
until no one is watching,
respectful of the border
between morning and night"
... I'm wondering if they're as noisy as the big dung- and other beetles scraping around the odd holes in the walls of my 200 year-old granite house in Portugal.
"and the meaty Louisiana roaches
keep inside the walls
until no one is watching,
respectful of the border
between morning and night"
... I'm wondering if they're as noisy as the big dung- and other beetles scraping around the odd holes in the walls of my 200 year-old granite house in Portugal.
